The invention relates to a suspended conveyer device for conveying supports for goods to be conveyed along conveyer paths, comprising a running rail arrangement with running rails which are associated with the conveyer paths and on which the supports for goods to be conveyed can be guided.
In this case, the primary thought is given to a suspended conveyer device for conveying supports for goods to be conveyed which in each case comprise a supporting element having two running rollers, projecting from the supporting element on opposite sides, to roll on running rails associated with the conveyer paths, running rails being assigned to the conveyer paths and having a running roller guide groove which is open at the top to guide supports for goods to be conveyed which, in each case, as based on the conveying direction, are suspended by a left or right running roller on the running rail, engage with this running roller in the guide groove, and, with the supporting element, extend downward into a conveyer path clearance laterally beside the running rail.
Suspended conveyer devices of the type mentioned above find widespread use, for example in the clothing industry, and are predominantly used there to transport articles of clothing suspended on clothes hangers. In this case, the supports for goods to be conveyed which are used are hanger supports, as they are known, having a supporting element which, at its lower end, has a hook area for the suspension of a clothes hanger and, at its upper end, has a pair of running rollers that project from the supporting element from opposite sides. The hanger supports are generally in each case suspended by one running roller on a running rail, it being possible for this running roller to roll in a guided manner in a guide groove of the running rail during conveying operation. The supporting element of the hanger support extends laterally downward beside the running rail into a conveyer path clearance. In order to drive the hanger supports, a drive belt or the like guided along the running rail is usually provided. In the case of a frictional belt drive, the drive belt is a frictional belt which, for example, as an endless belt, is driven in circulation around two deflection stations and which can drive hanger supports along the respective running rail by friction. Suspended conveyer devices having such frictional belt drives normally enable optional backup of a number of supports for goods to be conveyed as the frictional belt continues to run. Such a suspended conveyer device with frictional belt drive is described, for example, in EP 0 582 047 B1.
Suspended conveyer devices are also known in which the hanger supports are driven to move by means of a conveyer chain which is driven in circulation around two deflection stations and is guided along relevant running rails.
In the case of the suspended conveyer devices mentioned above, a coherent running rail stream section (a coherent running rail path) normally runs from one deflection station of the relevant drive belt to the next deflection station. The transfer of hanger supports from one conveyer path section to another conveyer path section, or the removal of hanger supports from the respective conveyer path in the case of the known suspended conveyer devices, is carried out at the deflection stations by means of appropriate hanger support transfer devices on rotating deflection drums belonging to the deflection stations. With reference to the prior art, reference is again made in this regard to EP 0 582 047 B1.
German patent application 199 43 141 (filing date 09.09.1999) from the applicant describes a branching station or diverter for a suspended conveyer device of the type explained above, which permits the selective removal of supports for goods to be conveyed from a running rail stream section of a first conveyer path, in order to supply the removed supports for goods to be conveyed to a second conveyer path. The branching station therefore provides the possibility of selectively removing supports for goods to be conveyed from a first conveyer path and supplying them to a second conveyer path, that is to sayxe2x80x94expressed in another wayxe2x80x94selectively rerouting the supports for goods to be conveyed from the first conveyer path to a second conveyer path or leaving them on the first conveyer path. The branching station is not functionally bound to a deflection station for drive belts, but can also be connected to an approximately rectilinear course of the first conveyer path. In addition to supplying the supports for goods to be conveyed to the diverter or branching station in such a conveying direction such that the diverter or branching station can be used selectively for rerouting, the laid-open specification also considers supplying the supports for goods to be conveyed to the diverter in conveying directions opposed thereto.
Furthermore, EP 0 926 083 A1 discloses a crossover for a suspended conveyer which permits a first and a second conveyer path to cross. Removal of the supports for goods to be conveyed from the first or second conveyer path and supplying the removed supports for goods to be conveyed to the other conveyer path is not possible in the case of the known crossover.
The object of the invention is to provide a possible way of transferring supports for goods to be conveyed between a first conveyer path and a second conveyer path, which provides high flexibility with regard to the guidance of streams of goods in the suspended conveyer device. In order to achieve this object, the invention proposes that the suspended conveyer device has a rerouting station, which is constructed to selectively reroute supports for goods to be conveyed from a first conveyer path to a second conveyer path or to leave them on the first conveyer path, and to selectively reroute supports for goods to be conveyed from the second conveyer path to the first conveyer path or to leave them on the second conveyer path.
According to the invention, the rerouting station, which can also be referred to, if appropriate as a crossover diverter or X-diverter, permits both selective removal of supports for goods to be conveyed from the first conveyer path and the supply (the insertion) of the supports for goods to be conveyed to the second conveyer path (rerouting from the first conveyer path to the second conveyer path) and also the removal of supports for goods to be conveyed from the second conveyer path and the supply (the insertion) of the removed supports for goods to be conveyed to the first conveyer path (rerouting of the supports for goods to be conveyed from the second conveyer path to the first conveyer path). The following streams of goods are therefore possible: supports for goods to be conveyed supplied on the first conveyer path are rerouted to the second conveyer path, supports for goods to be conveyed supplied on the first conveyer path remain on the first conveyer path, supports for goods to be conveyed supplied on the second conveyer path are rerouted to the first conveyer path, supports for goods to be conveyed supplied on the second conveyer path remain on the second conveyer path.
By appropriate use of the rerouting station, it is, moreover, possible to combine, in the rerouting station, a first stream of goods supplied to the rerouting station on the first conveyer path by using supports for goods to be conveyed, and a second stream of goods supplied to the rerouting station on the second conveyer path by using supports for goods to be conveyed and, if appropriate, to mix said streams, and to carry the resultant stream of goods away from the rerouting station on the first or the second conveyer path. Furthermore, by appropriate use of the rerouting station, it is possible to distribute goods, which are supplied to the rerouting station by using supports for goods to be conveyed via the first conveyer path and/or via the second conveyer path, to two resultant streams of goods, by the goods supplied being selectively allocated in the rerouting station to the first or the second conveyer path for further conveyance and, accordingly, carried away from the rerouting station via the first conveyer path or via the second conveyer path. In this way, for example, sorting tasks can be solved in a straightforward manner.
The examples mentioned make it clear that the rerouting station according to the invention can advantageously be used for an extremely wide range of combining, mixing, distributing and sorting tasks in relation to objects or goods that can be transported by means of supports for goods to be conveyed and, accordingly, provides through great flexibility in the handling of supports for goods to be conveyed or the objects transported thereby. In this connection, it can also be extremely advantageous furthermore that, in the various applications of the rerouting station, at least in the regular case, the supports for goods to be conveyed can maintain their conveying direction, that is to say a reversal of the conveying direction is not required.
Mention should further be made of the fact that the above text refers to a first conveyer path and a second conveyer path on which in each case firstly supports for goods to be conveyed can be supplied to the rerouting station and secondly the supplied supports for goods to be conveyed can be carried away from the rerouting station again. It is therefore assumed that the first and the second conveyer path lead through the rerouting station, the rerouting station selectively rerouting supports for goods to be conveyed between the first and the second conveyer path. However, it is also readily possible to speak of a first, a second, a third and a fourth conveyer path of which two conveyer paths are used to supply supports for goods to be conveyed to the rerouting station and the other two conveyer paths are used to carry the supports for goods to be conveyed supplied to the rerouting station away from the rerouting station. The rerouting station could then be characterized, for example, in that it is designed to selectively reroute supports for goods to be conveyed from a first conveyer path, ending in the rerouting station, to a third conveyer path, beginning in the rerouting station, or to a fourth conveyer path, beginning in the rerouting station, and to selectively reroute supports for goods to be conveyed from a second conveyer path ending in the rerouting station, to the third or the fourth conveyer path. In the following text, however, the nomenclature used first will be used, according to which a first and a second conveyer path are provided, in each case leading through the rerouting station, it being possible for the supports for goods to be conveyed to be selectively rerouted between the first and the second conveyer path or left on the respective conveyer path. The assignment of the conveyer path sections leading to the rerouting station and the conveyer path sections leading away from the rerouting station to the first and to the second conveyer path, respectively, is in principle arbitrary.
An expedient assignment may often be derived from the configuration of the suspended conveyer device, for example the guidance of a drive belt or the like.
Mention has already been made of the possibility that the conveyer paths are in each case assigned at least one running rail which has a running roller guide groove which is open at the top to guide supports for goods to be conveyed which, in each case, as based on the conveying direction, are suspended by a left or right running roller on the running rail, engage with this running roller in the guide groove and, with the supporting element, extend downward into a conveyer path clearance laterally beside the running rail. In this case it may be that, of the first and the second conveyer path, one, at least in some areas (but in any case in a path area located upstream of the rerouting station in the conveying direction and in a path area located downstream of the rerouting station in the conveying direction), is provided to guide supports for goods to be conveyed suspended on a relevant running rail by the left running rollers, and the other, at least in some areas (but in any case in a path area located upstream of the rerouting station in the conveying direction and in a path area located downstream of the rerouting station in the conveying direction) is provided to guide supports for goods to be conveyed suspended on a relevant running rail by the right running rollers. A rerouting station which is suitable for such an application situation (according to an expedient assignment of the conveyer path sections leading to the rerouting station and leading away from the rerouting station to the first and to the second conveyer path) is distinguished by the fact that rerouting between the first and the second conveyer path provides for a change from suspension of the supports for goods to be conveyed by the left running rollers on a relevant running rail to suspension of the supports for goods to be conveyed by the right running rollers on a relevant running rail or, respectively, a change from suspension of the supports for goods to be conveyed by the right running rollers on a relevant running rail to suspension of the supports for goods to be conveyed by the left running rollers on a relevant running rail.
According to a preferred embodiment of the rerouting station the first conveyer path and the second conveyer path in the rerouting station run over a decision path which is common to these conveyer paths or a decision location which is common to these conveyer paths, it being possible for the supports for goods to be conveyed as they pass the decision path or the decision location to be allocated selectively to the first or the second conveyer path for further conveyance.
In the rerouting station, in the area of the decision location or within the decision path, the supports for goods to be conveyed may be in actual or potential guiding engagement and, if appropriate, supporting and running-roller rolling engagement both with a first running rail path of the first conveyer path and with a second running rail path of the second conveyer path, wherein, of the first and the second running rail path, one is a running rail path associated with left running rollers and the other is a running rail path associated with right running rollers.
If a running rail path is mentioned here, this means an area or section of a running rail or of a plurality of running rails following one another in the conveying direction along the respective conveyer path (if appropriate, the entire running rail or the running rail stream section formed by the running rails), it being possible for the respective running rail to be formed in one or more parts, that is to say for example by a single-part running rail component or a supporting profile component and a running rail component mounted thereon. If mention is made here of potential guiding engagement as opposed to actual guiding engagement, this means that the two running rail paths in the rerouting station can, if appropriate, also fulfill only the function of a drop-off safeguard or the like if the guidance of the supports for goods to be conveyed is carried out, for example, by means of a drive arrangement that holds the individual supports for goods to be conveyed. As a rule, however, actual guiding engagement will be provided, this preferably being direct engagement between the supports for goods to be conveyed and the running rail paths. However, there is also the possibility that the guiding engagement is brought about by using for instance the drive arrangement already mentioned which, for example, comprises elongate driver elements, for example driver chains, guided in the running rail paths.
In order to permit rerouting between the conveyer paths without great mechanical outlay and without excessive rerouting forces, it is preferred that in the rerouting station, in the area of the decision location or within the decision path, in the case of a left running roller, between the latter and the associated running rail path there is provided no substantial guiding engagement or only such engagement which is reduced as compared with other running rail paths, acting laterally to the right, and in the case of a right running roller, between the latter and the associated running rail path there is provided no substantial guiding engagement or only such engagement which is reduced as compared with other running rail paths, acting laterally to the left. According to a preferred configuration, this is achieved in that a rail section which bounds a guide groove laterally toward the conveyer path clearance and belongs to the first running rail path, and a rail section which bounds a guide groove laterally toward the conveyer path clearance and belongs to the second running rail path in each case have a cutout which is open laterally to the left and right, respectively in the area of the decision location or within the decision path.
As a particularly preferred possible configuration of the rerouting station, it is proposed that the first running rail path and the second running rail path run toward each other in a curve in the direction of the decision path or the decision location and, in the area of the decision path or the decision location, have a lateral spacing which leaves a common conveyer path clearance free. Such guidance of the conveyer paths is expedient in particular when the first and the second conveyer path run parallel to each other in some areas.
In order to reroute the supports for goods to be conveyed between the first and the second conveyer path, the rerouting station can comprise at least one guide element for supports for goods to be conveyed which can be adjusted between a first and a second guide position and which, in the first guide position, has an adjustable guide element for supports for goods to be conveyed which, in the guide position, leaves supports for goods to be conveyed supplied on the first conveyer path on the latter and reroutes supports for goods to be conveyed supplied on the second conveyer path to the first conveyer path and which, in the second guide position, leaves supports for goods to be conveyed supplied on the second conveyer path on the latter and reroutes supports for goods to be conveyed supplied on the first conveyer path to the second conveyer path.
The guide element, which can be arranged above the decision location or the decision path, for example, preferably has at least one run-on inclined surface, onto which a respective positive guidance section preferably formed by an upper end section of the supporting element and belonging to the supports for goods to be conveyed runs and which guides the supports for goods to be conveyed positively in such a way that the respective support for goods to be conveyed is conveyed onward along a specific conveyer path downstream of the decision point or the decision path, along the first conveyer path in the case of the first guide position and along the second conveyer path in the case of the second guide position.
With regard to the configuration of the guide element, there are in principle many possibilities. For example, the guide element can have a body with a guide channel which is bounded laterally by run-on inclined surfaces and which comprises a receiving section which, both in the first and in the second guide position, receives supports for goods to be conveyed supplied both along the first and along the second conveyer path, and a discharge section which, in the first guide position, allocates the supports for goods to be conveyed in a defined way to the first conveyer path and, in the second guide position, allocates the supports for goods to be conveyed in a defined way to the second conveyer path and has a lateral width which is lower than the receiving section. In this case, it can be advantageous if at least the receiving section of the guide channel, preferably the entire guide channel, increasingly narrows laterally in the conveying direction. For example, the receiving section or the guide channel could narrow in the manner of a funnel.
It has already been indicated that a drive arrangement can be provided which comprises at least one elongate first driver element, if appropriate a first driver chain, which is associated with the first conveyer path and conveys the supports for goods to be conveyed through the rerouting station, and at least one elongate second driver element, if appropriate a second driver chain, which is associated with the second conveyer path and conveys the supports for goods to be conveyed through the rerouting station.
Primarily, when the rerouting station is constructed with a decision path which is common to the first and the second conveyer path or a decision location which is common to these conveyer paths, it is expedient for the supports for goods to be conveyed in the rerouting station, at least in some areas, to be in driving engagement both with the first driver element and with the second driver element, it being expedient in the case of the aforementioned construction of the rerouting station with a common decision path or common decision location for the supports for goods to be conveyed in each case to be in driving engagement with both driver elements, at least within the decision path or in the area of the decision location.
The drive arrangement can be a drive arrangement which ensures that the supports for goods to be conveyed are conveyed in other path sections of the first and second conveyer path as well, that is to say for example also upstream and downstream of the rerouting station. However, the aforementioned drive arrangement can also be a drive arrangement specifically associated with the rerouting station.
According to a preferred embodiment, the suspended conveyer device comprises a main drive arrangement assigned to the first and the second conveyer path, and an additional drive arrangement assigned to the rerouting station. The main drive arrangement can comprise at least one elongate first main driver element, if appropriate a first frictional belt, that drives supports for goods to be conveyed along the first conveyer path, and at least one elongate second main driver element, if appropriate a second frictional belt, which drives supports for goods to be conveyed along the second conveyer path. The additional drive arrangement can comprise at least one elongate first additional driver element, if appropriate a first driver chain, which is assigned to the first conveyer path and conveys the supports for goods to be conveyed through the rerouting station, and at least one elongate second additional driver element, if appropriate a second driver chain, which is assigned to the second conveyer path and conveys the supports for goods to be conveyed through the rerouting station.
It is pointed out that, in principle, it is possible to guide a single driver element along a plurality of conveyer paths for the purpose of driving the supports for goods to be conveyed. For this reason, the term xe2x80x9celongate driver elementxe2x80x9d used here is also intended to comprise the meaning xe2x80x9cdriver element sectionxe2x80x9d.
The main drive arrangement is preferably designed to permit supports for goods to be conveyed to back up when the drive of the main driver elements is running (that is to say the driver elements are running). The additional drive arrangement is preferably designed to ensure defined passage times for the supports for goods to be conveyed to pass through the rerouting station, it being possible, to achieve the defined passage times, if appropriate to dispense with permitting the supports for goods to be conveyed to back up when the driver element is running, the additional drive arrangement therefore not necessarily being capable of allowing a backup, as opposed to the preferred design of the main drive arrangement.
In order to couple the supports for goods to be conveyed to the additional driver elements, the additional driver elements can carry engagement elements which, preferably above the running rollers, act with a form fit or force fit on the supports for goods to be conveyed and produce a form-fitting or force-fitting driving engagement. The engagement elements can engage in engagement cutouts in the supports for goods to be conveyed, producing the driving engagement. In the case of the force-fitting driving engagement, the latter is preferably based on resilient reaction forces of the engagement elements deformed resiliently in the course of the production of the driving engagement or the driving engagement is at least reinforced by the resilient reaction forces.
Depending on the design of the main drive arrangement, it may be expedient for the main driver elements to be guided past the rerouting station, for example in order to avoid problems with regard to the guidance of the frictional belts in the case of frictional belts and/or to reduce frictional forces between the frictional belts and elongated of respective frictional belt guide to be overcome in order to drive the frictional belts. In this connection, it is extremely expedient, if, in an inlet area of the rerouting station, a transfer station (possibly comprising a separate first transfer station associated with the first conveyer path and a separate second transfer station associated with the second conveyer path) is provided, in which the driving engagement between the supports for goods to be conveyed and the respective main driver element is canceled and the driving engagement between the supports for goods to be conveyed and the respective additional driver element is produced. Furthermore, in this connection, it is extremely expedient if, in an outlet area of the rerouting station, a further transfer station (possibly comprising a separate first transfer station associated with the first conveyer path and a separate second transfer station associated with the second conveyer path) is provided, in which the driving engagement between the supports for goods to be conveyed and the respective additional driver element is canceled and the driving engagement between the supports for goods to be conveyed and the respective main driver element is produced.
It will regularly be expedient, in an inlet area of the rerouting station, to provide a passage barrier associated with the first conveyer path and/or a passage barrier associated with the second conveyer path, for the selective barring and releasing of the passage through the rerouting station for the supports for goods to be conveyed. The respective passage barrier preferably enables separation of the supports for goods to be conveyed, so that, for example, sorting tasks and goods separation tasks can be fulfilled by means of the rerouting station.
For many possible uses, for example, the aforementioned sorting tasks, it is extremely expedient if, in an inlet area or in the inlet area of the rerouting station, an identification arrangement for supports for goods to be conveyed, associated with the first conveyer path, if appropriate a barcode reading arrangement, and/or an identification arrangement for supports for goods to be conveyed, associated with the second conveyer path, if appropriate a barcode reading arrangement, is/are provided. In this connection, it is particularly expedient if the rerouting station can be actuated on the basis of identifications of supports for goods to be conveyed by means of the identification arrangement for supports for goods to be conveyed or identification arrangements for supports for goods to be conveyed. Actuation of the rerouting station can comprise actuation of the passage barrier or of the passage barriers and/or actuation of the guide element for supports for goods to be conveyed.
For high operational reliability, it is often expedient, at least in the area of the rerouting station, to provide a drop-off safeguard, which prevents the supports for goods to be conveyed dropping off a relevant running rail path. This is because, depending on the design of the running rail path, under certain circumstances there could be the risk of the supports for goods to be conveyed dropping off the running rail path, for example under the action of centrifugal forces and/or in the course of the release and/or production of a driving engagement with an associated driver element. The drop-off safeguard can advantageously comprise at least one safety rail running along the running rail path at a defined distance from the latter.
The invention relates further to a rerouting station for a suspended conveyer device as described above. According to the invention, the rerouting station is designed to selectively reroute supports for goods to be conveyed in a first conveyer path to a second conveyer path or to leave them on the first conveyer path, and to selectively reroute supports for goods to be conveyed from the second conveyer path to the first conveyer path or to leave them on the second conveyer path. In general terms, the rerouting station can be constructed in accordance with the rerouting station previously described and belonging to the suspended conveyer device according to the invention.
The invention relates further to a method of combining and, if appropriate, mixing at least two streams of goods by using a suspended conveyer device according to the invention or a rerouting station according to the invention. It is proposed that a first stream of goods be supplied to the rerouting station on a/the first conveyer path, and a second stream of goods be supplied to the rerouting station on a/the second conveyer path, the streams of goods be combined, and, if appropriate, mixed in the rerouting station, and the resultant stream of goods be carried away from the rerouting station on the first or the second conveyer path.
The invention relates further to a method of distributing the goods from at least one stream of goods to at least two resultant streams of goods, using a suspended conveyer device according to the invention or a rerouting station according to the invention. It is proposed that, on at least one conveyer path (a/the first conveyer path and/or a/the second conveyer path), at least one stream of goods be supplied to the rerouting station and, in the rerouting station, the goods be selectively allocated to the first or the second conveyer path for further conveyance and, accordingly, be carried away from the rerouting station on the first conveyer path as a first resultant stream of goods and on the second conveyer path as a second resultant stream of goods. The goods from at least two streams of goods are preferably distributed to at least two resultant streams of goods, a first stream of goods being supplied to the rerouting station on the first conveyer path, and a second stream of goods being supplied to the rerouting station on the second conveyer path.